What is this transition we’re in? (Part 1)

Hi there, happy new moon in Taurus! This week we're just going to jump right in.

I’m sure many of you remember hearing of the “end of the Maya calendar” in 2012. Perhaps even some of the fatalistic predictions around what that meant. While the fatalistic perspective was a bit out of touch, or perhaps dramatic, as an allegory it’s not far off. Further, as one digs into various ancient, spiritual and esoteric traditions we find many descriptions of cycles¹—and how they end and repeat. It just so happens, we are living at a time, right now, that is at the end of many of these described cycles. Rather than being fatalistic, I see this as an immensely exciting time to be alive!

What are cycles?

As day turns into night, winter to spring, new moon to full, life is filled with cycles. These cycles manifest in our physical reality, like how the moon influences the tides. And, while we are aware of many cycles, there are many more at work beyond what’s common knowledge. Just recently, scientists found evidence of a 2.4 million year cycle of Mars affecting Earth’s oceans! The scale of cycles as measured by our perception of time on Earth can occupy any length, from daily to millions of years and anywhere in between.

"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." —The Kybalion

Beyond the effects on our physical world, these cycles also influence each of us energetically. This is an essential mechanism of Astrology. Yet, again, there is a preponderance towards fatalism. Energy is influence and something to work with. Not a predictive fate of exactness. So, how does this energy manifest, if not something specific and exact? Through archetypes, of course! Or, perhaps more simply, as possibilities.

In this way, cycles represent different archetypal energies expressing themselves more predominantly during different time periods. As cycles are, well, cyclical, they also represent a specific progression through said archetypes—something akin to a Hero's Journey.

The end of a cycle

What's so immense of this current time, is how we are at, or nearing, the end of a cycle. And, not just a small cycle measured in days, but something to the tune of hundreds or thousands of years depending on who you ask¹. Further, we're not in the middle of the cycle experiencing a progression from some archetype into another, we're at the termination of the cycle itself. Of course, being a cycle means it's not really a termination but rather a loop. Or, ideally, an evolution rather than revolution.

Evolution is a integral part of our reality. And not just as with a lizard developing larger toepads, but evolution of consciousness. As we experience cycles of different energies—which are cycles of Archetypes and possibilities—we have the potential to work with those energies in a new way, with new awareness. If we don't, then life at one of (or all of the) individual, familial, communal, national and global will feel like Groundhog Day—forever repeating.

What's does this mean for our experience?

Well, remember, it's always about possibility. There is no fatalism, there is no predetermined future. Still, there are generalities we can make. First, it will be a time of change. Whatever the precise length of this cycle—be it 500 years or 15,000—we will not have experienced this level of change since the cycle started.

Further, we can think of all the societal structures and concepts (laws, governance, philosophy, economics, everything!) we've built up during this cycle as being of this time-period. As we move into a new cycle, we will have new possibilities of what we want to conceptualize, build and create. Thus, we need to identify what in this current cycle is worthy as a solid foundation—what do we want to keep and what do we want to toss?

"If we cannot learn the art of destruction, we'll never be effective creators, because we will never be able to complete cycles." —John Sandbach

So, a transition into a new cycle—a new era—means these sort of "basic principles of how society functions" are no longer stable. It is a process of entropy or chaos as the systems, collective agreements, and societal structures are becoming more and more fluid and malleable—ready for us to create something new.

Embracing uncertainty and paradox

"Peoples minds tend to be lazy. They prefer to fall back on their earlier and easier ways of thinking. People don't like tensions and ambiguities. A paradox often appears as two seemingly opposite or contradictory truths. Evolving to new and higher grounds of awareness can be uncomfortable. Unfortunately, many seek clarity and resolution in duality: right versus wrong; good versus evil; me versus you. They don't seek integration." —Anneloes Smitsman, Jean Houston

A time of change like this means you will have to dig deeper to develop a sense of security and trust. A stable culture innately offers a sense of security. You don't have to dig deep into your inner being to figure out your life. Rather, generally, you can follow the norms and be quite comfortable and even successful. With the collective idea of society becoming more chaotic, priming itself to be rebuilt, we no longer have the familiar comfort and accepted culture that provides a sense of security and even anchoring to our own existence.

Instead, we have to dig deeper, individually, to find a sense of security with our existence. This is why I believe esoteric knowledge (spirituality, metaphysics, philosophy, analytical psychology, etc.) is primed to be discovered and adopted by a larger portion of humanity, right now. There are thousands of years of knowledge at our disposal, ready for us to try out and give ourselves a new perspective on our existence and afford us a new sense of anchoring so we can come together to work with the possibilities of this new cycle. And, of course, avoid falling into the trap of polarity.

"The synonym for uncertainty is freedom and possibility" —Dan Siegel

It is a beautiful, exciting time marked by some level of chaos and entropy, which just means the potential to create is that much more.